This invention relates generally to an educational device and particularly to an educational device in which a plurality of different types of fastener elements require the use of different tools for assembly and disassembly of the device.
The prior art discloses several devices which utilize a plurality of different types of fastener elements and tools. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,154 discloses an instructional chair which is connected by different bolts and uses different joint structures; U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,149 discloses a dexterity testing apparatus requiring the use of various fasteners and tools and U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,118 discloses a toy vehicle having parts which are connected by a variety of different fasteners requiring different tools. Such devices are useful for educational purposes in that they not only teach the use of different types of fastener elements and tools but also the use of the tool with the fastener members. While providing these advantages, the prior art devices do not provide the intellectual exercise that is provided by a device which is like a puzzle, in that it requires the precise location and orientation of parts, which are similar though not identical in overall appearance, for proper assembly. Furthermore, such prior art devices are relatively structured in the particular steps involved in the sequence of assembly or disassembly of the device.